How much notice does a Hawaii landlord have to give before evicting for nonpayment?

Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 521-68, as amended by Act 278, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025 and effective February 5, 2026, requires a notice giving the tenant not less than ten calendar days after receipt to pay. The section also prescribes eight items the notice must contain and requires the landlord to send a copy to a state-funded mediation center. Until February 4, 2026 the same section required only five business days; a source still stating five days predates the amendment.

Can I include late fees in the amount demanded?

No. The demand must be for past-due rent only. Including late fees, utilities, repair charges, or other non-rent items in the demand is a defect that can void the notice. If the lease has a separate late-fee provision, those amounts are pursued separately.

What happens if I accept partial payment after serving the ten-day notice?

Accepting partial rent after serving the ten-calendar-day notice may waive the notice and require a fresh notice for the remaining balance. Hawaii evictions are summary possession proceedings under chapter 666, and a landlord who accepts part of the rent demanded after the notice was served risks having the demand treated as waived. Best practice: do not accept any payment during the notice period unless it is the full amount.

How is the ten-day notice delivered?

Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 521-68(a) states the delivery rules directly and does not impose a ranked ladder. The notice may be posted in a conspicuous place on the dwelling unit, in which case it is deemed received on the date of the posting. A notice mailed by the United States Postal Service, properly addressed and with appropriate postage, is deemed received two business days after the date of the postmark unless it is returned as undeliverable. Personal delivery to the tenant is also effective. Hawaii does not add five days for service by mail.

Can the tenant pay after the ten-day period expires but before I file for summary possession?

Yes. The landlord may accept full payment at any time before filing the summary possession complaint, and the late payment cures the default. Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 521-68 does not compel the landlord to accept payment after the period has run, but nothing prevents it. Note that a landlord who is required to mediate under subsection (c) may not file until the twenty-calendar-day point where mediation was scheduled and the tenant participated.

Do any Hawaii counties impose a different notice period?

Hawaii has no residential rent control and no county rent board. The nonpayment notice period, its required contents, and the pre-litigation mediation step are set statewide by Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 521-68 and apply on every island. County ordinances address zoning and transient vacation rental use, not the length of a pay-or-quit notice.

How long is the full eviction process if the tenant does not pay?

After the ten-calendar-day notice expires, and after the twenty-calendar-day point if mediation was scheduled and the tenant participated, the landlord files a summary possession complaint under chapter 666 in District Court. Summary possession is a fast-track proceeding; a return date is set shortly after filing and a contested case is set for trial. If the landlord prevails, the court issues a judgment for possession and a writ of possession that law enforcement executes. Timelines vary by circuit and by whether the case is contested.

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Free Hawaii 10-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit

The statutorily-required nonpayment notice a Hawaii landlord must give before filing for summary possession. Not less than ten calendar days after receipt under Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 521-68, as amended by Act 278, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025 and effective February 5, 2026. Built for Hawaii landlords.

Hawaii 10-Day Notice Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 521-68 Free PDF 2026 Edition

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